Author Topic: Windows Vista (Read 80205 times)

B E C K · « **on:** Jul 23, 2009, 10:47:18 PM »

1) I didn't know recording sound in Vista was such a bitch.

Apparently, I can't record sound off the internet on my laptop with the Windows Vista Home Premium OS. Some apparently can by showing disabled features or something, but it doesn't apply to me. I already tried updating the sound drivers with no solutions. Truthfully, updating (or attempting) to update the sound seemed to create problems. There's various work-arounds being tossed around like some Virtual Audio Cable thingy and other software, but I don't know if I should try any of this shit or not. I'm not in any hurry and I have other comps I can use instead. It's just a pain in the ass. Must be one of the reasons people hate Vista. I didn't have that much to hate it for until now.

Not so long story short, if I had known about Vista's selective sound recording issues, I would looked at comps more carefully when I was buying.

2) 20/20, my preferred graphics program, doesn't function in Vista. What do you guys use for your graphics needs? I dl'ed Gimp, but it's kinda annoying to use.

Rama · « **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 10:57:40 PM »

I really dislike Vista...it had me pulling at my hair for about the first week I had the new comp.

B E C K · « **Reply #2 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:05:31 PM »

I'm still not used to the Start menu. I smell cinnamon. Did you do that?

Rama · « **Reply #3 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:07:59 PM »

I...don't think so, but I also wouldn't rule it out either.

B E C K · « **Reply #4 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:18:38 PM »

I like Spider Solitaire.

Rama · « **Reply #5 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:22:55 PM »

Yeah, I usually play that or Free Cell as I wait for pages to load.

I actually want to get the Windows upgrade "Windows 8" or whatever, but at a 150 bucks it's a pretty expensive upgrade.

B E C K · « **Reply #6 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:27:37 PM »

Isn't it 7? Why do you want to? What have you heard about it that makes it better?

Rama · « **Reply #7 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:34:58 PM »

Proably is 7.

And I just heard it fixed a lot of the headaches that came with Vista, but in the end I proably won't. I've got use to Vista for the last few months and I can live with it.

B E C K · « **Reply #8 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:42:11 PM »

I'm always wary of fairly new OSs. But at least I'm not those supposed "musicians" I keep coming across on support forums that talk about how they bought a new laptop for their music and are screwed because they can't record sound using Vista. "But that's what I bought it for!" Yeah, that sucks. I don't know how that discourages theft by preventing ppl from recording. It would just make people want to take more, I'd think.

Derrick · « **Reply #9 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:50:26 PM »

I use paint shop pro. It's better than Photoshop.

Rama · « **Reply #10 on:** Jul 23, 2009, 11:53:34 PM »

What I don't get about the Vista Media player is that I can rip CDs, but not DVDs. So if I wanted to Pirate music that's ok, but not Movies or TV shows that's wrong.

joe · « **Reply #11 on:** Jul 24, 2009, 02:01:40 AM »

Well, music is a lost cause.

But television and film? They're still fightin' that battle!

This PC came with Vista, and it's never really given me much grief, but then all I really use it for is watching illicit video files and surfin' thems internets.

I'll probably just avoid Windows 7 until everyone stops supporting Vista completely.

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #12 on:** Jul 24, 2009, 11:53:05 PM »

Did you have XP on that computer before Vista? It could just be a crummy built-in sound system.

As for the sound issues, I'm assuming you've got the correct boxes checked in the Recording Control dialog screen? I had a bitch of a time recording until I found that I had some of my channels disabled. You can probably chell this in Audacity or whatever audio prog you use.

I use Photoshop and The GIMP, and I hear Paint.NET is good for less extensive stuff. Haven't used PSP in years, and that was the 16-bit version.

B E C K · « **Reply #13 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 12:12:05 AM »

Thanks for the suggestions.

@Squirrel: I don't know if you mean me or joe with that "XP on that computer before Vista" but if it's me, no. This is a new laptop that came with Vista. What channels do you mean? Anyway, I've been reading up on this and it seems to be a common issue, especially with Dell and Sony Vaio (but I have a Toshiba). The only way for me to record any sound appears to be through the microphone, which is not something I've done in years. There's one built in and there's also a jack for one, but I haven't used either yet.

Rodent of Unusual Size · « **Reply #14 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 01:46:20 AM »

It's probably your sound hardware, particularly if it was a comparatively inexpensive laptop.

Double click the speaker icon in the lower right corner; select Options and Properties (I'm assuming it works the same as in XP) and tell it to adjust volume for recording to see what inputs you have. It may just say microphone or line in. If so, then, yeah, you'll probably be reduced to recording into a mike.

B E C K · « **Reply #15 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 01:54:43 AM »

Quote from: Rodent of Unusual Size on Jul 25, 2009, 01:46:20 AM

Double click the speaker icon in the lower right corner; select Options and Properties (I'm assuming it works the same as in XP)

It doesn't. I record stuff in XP so I have an idea of what you're talking about. Double clicking brings up a Mixer thing. Recording Devices, an option by clicking and then selecting it, shows only a mic. Some Vista comps--when you show disabled devices--actually manages to display wave out, stereo mix, or something of the sort like you see in XP. Then you can select it and record streaming internet audio. However, I can't even get any of that to show.

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B E C K · « **Reply #16 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 01:59:45 AM »

Quote from: Rodent of Unusual Size on Jul 25, 2009, 01:46:20 AM

It's probably your sound hardware, particularly if it was a comparatively inexpensive laptop.

Less than a $1000 but considering Merla's POS Gateway with XP records sound just fine, mine costing several hundred more should have some comparatively able sound hardware. Would the sound card being integrated with the motherboard cause these sorts of problems? I only ask because I saw that issue bandied about various posts I read on support forums about this topic.

Rama · « **Reply #17 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:01:29 AM »

Quote from: B E C K on Jul 25, 2009, 12:12:05 AM

(but I have a Toshiba).

A Satellite? Those are pretty good from what I hear, but I'm such a company mark that in my search for a Laptop (which I am in the middle of now) I'll proably end up with a Gateway, but if I don't I'm buying a Toshiba since I had one before a long time ago.

B E C K · « **Reply #18 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:13:43 AM »

Yeah, it was on sale, right? Supposedly 50 bucks less than normal. So I go in to buy it and the guy's all, "Well, we have three in stock including our floor model. We've done some shit to them, so it'll be $$ + $$ + $$." (I'm paraphrasing, of course.) So I pretty much am all "FTW, you have a sale price in your ad and the only ones you have stock cost more because you did shit to them w/o my permission?" And he's all "Most people want shit done to it so they don't have to do shit to it later. They like having shit done." and I'm all "I can do my own shit to it. I came down here today to buy one of those because of the sale and now you want me to go to another store so I can find one you didn't do shit to when no one told you to do shit to it in the first place?" After a few minutes of this, he let me have it for the sale price. I don't know if he was being nice about it, just trying to get me out of his hair, or if they're paid on some sort of commission or quota or whatever, but either way I appreciate it.

Rama · « **Reply #19 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:21:32 AM »

Was this at Best Buy? Cause when I bought my Desktop they tried to talk me into paying them to like take a bunch of stuff off and do this and that to the computer so I didn't have to. I was like "No...I can do it myself thanks."

B E C K · « **Reply #20 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:27:42 AM »

Yep and I said the same thing.

Rama · « **Reply #21 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:32:11 AM »

They try to talk you into all kinda of extra stuff when buy there. They tried to get me to buy an 18 dollar cord or connect my printer. (No idea why it doesn't come with it, but whatever.) Basicly told the guy I wasn't paying that for it and that was that. Got it later at Wal-Mart for like six bucks. Works just fine. I did buy a 20 dollar surge protector though, which I wish I hadn't as soon as I got it home. Espeically since it didn't have a Phone Jack to protect the modem.

B E C K · « **Reply #22 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:37:35 AM »

I remember this boner in my law class was all pissed off because he had bought a new laptop and when they tried to sell him the extra warranty bs, said "yes" and that he wanted it because he always cracks his screens. I have no idea how this always happens to someone, but apparently it does. I think he mentioned this nasty habit of picking the computer up by the screen or something. Anyway, he asked if what he was buying would cover that and they said it would. Turned out it didn't.

Rama · « **Reply #23 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:41:55 AM »

I've never known anyone that's cracked the screen on their laptop before. Hell I mistreated my old Toshiba the short time I had it (although it was from the 90s) and the screen was just fine. Outlasted three or four Computer Moniters.

But why didn't he just stop picking it up by the screen if he knew that's what caused it?

B E C K · « **Reply #24 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:46:15 AM »

Granted, I didn't really know him but I assumed because he was a fool and could afford to be one.

Rama · « **Reply #25 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:48:05 AM »

A Fool and his money.

I really hate people that have that kind of cash to just throw around. Actually, no...not hate. I'm jealous of people like that cause I've never been able to do it.

B E C K · « **Reply #26 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 02:57:56 AM »

What really brings on the jealousy/hate is people who have that sort of money complaining to be poor. You can't tote around your designer handbag, your brand new outfit, your spanking new shoes, your Blackberry, a car (whether daddy bought it for you or not), the shiny laptop and then whine about being poor and hungry. I can respect people who'd rather have a Blackberry and go hungry because at least they're aware they could otherwise go un-hungry but would rather have their Blackberry. Most people (and by ppl I mean college students), however, aren't that aware.

Rama · « **Reply #27 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 03:02:06 AM »

They never had to be, so they don't understand what it means. To them they are suffering cause they've never know anything worse then that.

I mean I wish I could throw money around like that. I mean I'd like to drop everything jump on plane and just GO someplace. But I can't. I have to save up to do stuff like that. But some people just do it at the drop of hat and think nothing of it and it's always those people that bitch the most about how bad things are for them.

B E C K · « **Reply #28 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 03:15:14 AM »

I watched this Oprah the other day, which was part of several episodes where Oprah (yeah, of all people) is trying to get others (i.e. upper middle class families that waste too much and raise spoiled kids that don't talk to each other) to "live with less". This one family of four (two of them being small children) had a giant store of food. Assloads of food. So the wife of the family (the one who's buying all of this food) hears about a hungry family in need. I guess the audience was supposed to be touched that she managed to feed another family of four for several days if not a week by pilfering extras from her own stores. But compared to what she had left, it was a pittance. She still had tons of food left! Way more than she needed. If she really wanted to make a difference, she would've given more of it away. She's a decent soul for giving away some of her food, but making a whole production out of a tiny percentage of food just looked sad.

Rama · « **Reply #29 on:** Jul 25, 2009, 03:29:09 AM »

Why did she have so much food saved back? Did she thnk that Y2K was just going to be late. I mean I only get what I need for a certain time period. Don't really save anything back..if it gets saved it's cause I changed my mind and didn't eat it when I planned.